Well-torpedo.



w. A. coav & F. E. mwmsow- WELL IORPEDO. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 26, 1911.

Patented July 30, 19181 swoon EMS W-H- COBY DHVFDSON WILL A. GOB'Y AND FRANK E. DAVIDSON, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

WELL-TOBPEDO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1918.

Application filed September 26, 1917. Serial No. 193,329.

provements in Well-Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,

This invention relates to well torpedoes and has for its primary object to provide a device for exploding nitroglycerin or other high explosive material at the bottom of oil, gas, or water wells, and is of such construction that the use of lead wiresfrom the top to the bottom of the well for closing a circuit to ignite the combustible squib may be dispensed with.

It is another and more particular object of our invention to provide a well torpedo includin a water-tight casing cells or batteries located exteriorly thereof, together with an ignition member, and manually controllable means within the casing for closing an electric circuit and igniting said material when the device reaches the bottom of the well, whereby a high explosive charge will be exploded.

And it is a further object of our invention to provide a well torpedo having relatively few parts of ver simple construction and, therefore, not lia le to get out of order, and which will also be very efficient and reliable in its operation and materially reduce the expense incident to the shooting of oil, gas, or water wells by thevarious methods and devices heretofore employed.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a well torpedo constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of our invention; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates a cylindrical metal casing, to the opposite ends of which caps or closures 6 are applied, suitable packing rings 7 being interposed between the contactin surfaces of the caps and the casing to ren er the in-- terior of the casing absolutely water-tight.

having dry may be forced into tight clamping engagement upon the packing rings.

An exteriorly threaded shell 10 is engaged in a threaded opening in the cap 6 on the upper end of the casing 5, said shell being formed with an outwardly projecting annular flange 11 on its upper end between which and the face of the cap 6 a packing rin or gasket 12 is interposed. A washer or disk 13 is threaded into the upper end of the sleeve 10, and through the central opening therein the threaded shank 15 of a stationary contact member 14 extends. The washer 13 has a flange 16 projecting outwardly upon the end of the sleeve and a clamping nut 17 threaded on the stem 15 engages against the face of this washer. Thus, it will be seen that the contact member 14 is completely insulated from the shell 10 and the wall of the casing. The washer 13 also serves as a water-tight packing to prevent the entrance of water to the interior of the shell. The other or lower end of the shell 10 has an inwardly projecting, annular flange 18 formed thereon with which the flanged end 20 of a metal tube 19' contacts, said flange 18 constituting a stop to limit the downward movement of said tube. The tube is urged to its extended position by means of a coil spring 21 within the sleeve 10, one end of said spring bearing against the washer '13 and the other end thereof against the flanged end 20 of the tube. To the other end of said tube, a wire W leading from one side of the igniting circuit is connected, as shown at 22. The wire W from the other side of the circuit extends upwardly through the tube 19 and is connected to the contact member 14.

A box or casing shown at 23 has a threaded flange for detachable connection to an annular, interiorly threaded flan e 24 on the bottom cap 6 of the casing 5. This box or casing contains the dry cells and the combustible squib, as indicated at S. It will be understood that the wires W and W are connected to the opposite poles of the batteries in the usual manner, said wires being alsobconnected through the batteries to the squi An axially disposed rod 25 is movable through a stuffing box 26 in the top cap 6 on the movement of the dog in one direction.

The dog is urged in a relatively opposite direction by means of a leaf'spring 33, one end of which is'suitably secured to the casing 5. "The .dog projects inwardly and downwardly from the'bracket 31 and the free end thereof'is adapted to engage against the inner side face of the upturned end 28 of the plate 27.

To the upper end of the rod 25 above the casing 5, a frame 34: preferably consisting of a series of flat metal strips, is'detachably secured. A weight indicated at 35 is contained within this frame and has limited longitudinal'movement with respect thereto.

A cable 3-6 extends through the upper end of the frame and is connected to this weight. The weight and the frame are housed and protected by a metal tube 37 one end of which is detachably connected to an interiorly-threaded flange 38 on the cap 6.

posed in the explosive charge- The cable' From the above description, the operation of our improved well torpedo in practical use will be understood as follows. The charge of nitroglycerin .or other high explosive is first placed in'ithe bottom of the well. The torpedo with the severalparts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, is then lowered into the well until the squib or other combustible mediumis dis- 37 is then slackened so as to permit the weight 35 to fall by gravity within the frame 34 and force the rod 25 downwardly,

thereby disengaging the'vertical end 28 of plate 27 from the dog 30. The spring 33 can then act to forcethe free end of the dog laterally in an outward direction and out of the path of the plate 28. The cable is now pulled upwardly, thus lifting the rod 25 and plate 27 and causing the end of the plate to engage the lower end of the tube 19. This tube is thus forced upwardly in the sleeve 10 against the action of the spring 21 until the upper end of the sleeve engages the stationary contact 14. The circuit will thus be closed through the batte cells in the box 23 and thesquib S will be ignited so that thecharge in the bottom of the well is exploded. It will be appreciated that by means'of our invention, the necessity of using lead wires from batteries on the ground surface to the bottom of the well is obviated so that in our improved torpedo,

the ordinary fourteen-gage current conducting wires may be used. The device being of such simple construction is positive and reliable in its operation and will explode thecharge without fail. The construction of the outer casing, as well as the size and proportion thereof and the manner of assembling the various other operative parts in connection with this casing, is merely illustrative, it being apparent that under varying conditions of use, it may be desirable to make numerous changes in the S126, shape, and arrangement of the several elements. It isconsequently to be understood that while we have herein shown and described what at present we believe to be the preferred embodiment of the invention,

the device is nevertheless susceptible of many modifications in numerous respects which may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we desire to claim and secure by Letmember when the torpedo is being lowered into the well.

2. Awell torpedo including a water-tight casing provided with electrical char e exploding means and circuit therefor, 0 mov able and stationary contacts located in the circuit, a manually controllable movable member within the casing to co-act with the movable contact and close the circuit for the igniting means, means within the casing to prevent an operative movement of said member when the torpedo is being lowered into the Well, and a manually controllable element to disengage said member from the holding means whereby said member may be operatively engaged with the movable contact.

3. A well torpedo including a casing provided with electrically ignited charge exploding means and circuit therefor, a guide sleeve extending into one end of the casing, a movable contact in the circuit engaged in said sleeve, a relatively stationary contact in the circuit, a manually operable rod axially. movable through one end of the easing, means fixed upon the inner end of said rod to co-act with the movablecontact and engage the same with the stationary contact to close the circuit, and additional means within the casing to prevent movement of said contact operating means when the torpedo is being lowered into the well.

4. A well torpedo including a water-tight casing provided with electrically ignited charge exploding means and a circuit therefor, a guide extending within the casing, of a movable contact in the circuit mounted in said guide, a relatively stationary contact in the circuit, a plate movable within the casing to co-act with the movable contact and engage the latter with the stationary contact whereby the circuit is closed, means for operating said'plate, a pivoted dog engageable with the plate to prevent an operative movement thereof while the torpedo is lowered into the well, and additional means to disengage the plate from saidpivoted element and permit of the operative movement'of the plate to explode the charge.

5. A well torpedo including a casing provided with electrically ignited charge exploding means and a circuit therefor, a stationary contact in the circuit, a movable contact within said casing, a spring yieldingly holding the movable contact out of engagement with the stationary contact, a rod extendingaxially through one end of the casing, a plate fixed to the inner end of said rod and adapted for engagement at one of its ends with the movable contact, a frame on the other end of said rod, a weight within said frame, a lowering cable connected to said weight, and a movable element .within the casing to co-act with the other end of said plate and prevent an operative movement of the latter while the torpedo is lowered into the well, said weight upon the release of the cable, shifting the rod axially and disengaging the plate from said movable element, whereby said plate may be moved to shift the movable contact into engagement with the stationary contact and close the circuit.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. COBY. FRANK E. DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

J. B. STEELE, WM. BECK. 

